Salary ÷ 2,080 is not a freelance rate. This calculator adds what employment hides — overhead, a tax set-aside, unbillable time, and real working weeks — then rounds to a rate you can actually quote. Pick your country for sensible tax defaults; every field is editable.
30% covers federal income tax plus the 15.3% self-employment tax for most mid-income freelancers; state tax varies.
Your hourly rate
$120
1,104 billable hours/yr · rounded up to the nearest 5
The formula: (income + overhead + tax buffer) ÷ billable hours. Overhead defaults to 25% of target income — equipment, software, insurance, workspace. The tax buffer applies your country’s set-aside to income plus overhead. Billable hours default to 46 weeks × 40 hours × 60% billable, about 1,104 hours — roughly half the 2,080 everyone divides by, which is why naive rates end up half of what they should be. The full reasoning is on our methodology page.
Each guide is prefilled with verified median salary data and country-specific tax notes.